Not So Fast Forward

You've gotten crazy forwards before, maybe you've even been guilty of sending them yourself. If you've had email for very long, you've probably even gotten the same forwards more than once. Forwards are a pretty big pet peeve of mine. Most of the time, if I see the infamous "FW" in the subject line, I don't pay much attention to the email, and may even delete it without opening it.

But my favorites are the ridiculous hoaxes that are forwarded over and over again - because people actually believe them. I got one not too long ago that was particularly great. It's one I've actually gotten before, only this time there was a new twist added. And to top it off, the local news even featured the story and called upon their "experts" to find out if it was real, and of course, did the whole "person on the street" interviews to see if people really thought it was real.

You're waiting with bated breath to find out which one I'm talking about, aren't you? It was the "drinking from a bottle of water left in the car to get hot will give you cancer" one. Yeah, that one again. I think it's been circulating since about 2003 at least. But this time, there was a new twist. Apparently Sheryl Crow appeared on a talk show and said her doctor had told her the same thing. And since we all love Sheryl Crow, we want to believe her - and her doctor, right? Wrong.

A few more of my favorites include the "deodorant will give you breast cancer" one (Um, what are you doing putting it on your boobs anyway? Why wouldn't it give you armpit cancer?), the "Bill Gates will pay you to forward this email" one (Sure, he likes to give away money, but to people who blindly forward emails? I don't think so.), the "Twinkies have a 50-year shelf life" one (Try 25 days.), and the "Eating Pop Rocks and drinking Coke will make your stomach explode" one (It might make fizz come out of your nose, but exploding stomach? Nah.).

First of all, stuff that sounds too crazy to be true probably is. So check it out somewhere first before you forward, folks. A quick trip to www.snopes.com should help clear up any mysteries that are more than a week or so old. You may be surprised to find out this "new" thing you are hearing about has been circulating the email inboxes since Al Gore allegedly invented the internet. If in doubt, don't forward it!

Secondly, consider the source. Not necessarily the person who sent it to you, but the person who supposedly said whatever it is contained in the forward. Sheryl Crow may have some good songs, but she lost all credibility with me when she said we should all figure out how to only use one square of toilet paper when we go to the bathroom because it would be good for the environment. Yes, she claims now it was a joke, but that's only after the entire universe made fun of her for saying it. She's welcome to use one square in her efforts to save the trees. I'll continue to be wasteful and laugh in the face of anybody who dares try to ration my TP. If she's ever in a bathroom stall next to me, she doesn't need to expect me to spare a square.